I think if we wanna go with Polynesian @Cappedore , we should go with Rapa Nui, otherwise it wouldn’t be eastern Pacifican but central (the Samoa/Tonga you proposed), northern (Hawaii) or southern (Maori). I’m going with a RL-IC TEP parallel rather than thematic for the sake of it
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I dont mind giving our exec head a new name but for simplicity sake the world asswmbly delegatw should still hold the title of just “Delegate” imo
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Agree with Zuk’s point above. I would also express the importance of having titles people can understand clearly. While I like the theming of Polynesian/Pacific Islander culture, realistically, no-one outside those IRL cultural groups is going to know what any of those terms mean. It’s important that people who aren’t already involved in govt understand what each position is.
I think it’s more important we get the core structure of this system down-pat before we think too deeply on theming.
I support the general idea. It would make TEP a lot a safer for the long term.
Since I rejoined TEP last year, how many security crises have we endured? From Lone Wolves to Ernest Drake, the threats have been persistent and unrelenting. If we look back at TEP’s history–particularly the case of Fedele–it is not hard to conclude that, had his group been even slightly more competent, they could have successfully taken the region.
This highlights a structural vulnerability: it is alarmingly easy for foreign actors–whose loyalties lie with another region or organization–to position themselves to become Delegate. TEP has been fortunate thus far, but fortune is not a security strategy. How long can that luck reasonably be expected to hold?
It is only a matter of time before a more capable individual or group, attempts the same. For these reasons, I must support this proposal.
I support this idea in general, I think in the long run, a non-executive Delegacy will be a safer option for TEP
Just one correction: not even slightly competent, more like if they actually cared to take it seriously at ALL.
rip
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I concur. Much of what I’ve written below touches upon a similar premise, and was written like a week and a half ago.
This discussion - and discussions of this sort in recent years - makes it very clear to me that it is a necessity, not a choice, that we make this change at the most immediate of junctures.
Here is a fact: The East Pacific, now more than ever before, faces a number of wide-ranging security threats that jeopardize the long-term existence of the current Government of the East Pacific. One man got very close, and there’s reason to believe another had similar intentions.
Do I want to do it - out of a sake of practicality and personal opinion - no. However, as made evident by the back-to-back delegacies of a woman who called herself “Loligarch” (euuggghh) and the current Khan of LWU at last decade’s close, the continued existence of a widely-elected and completely supreme position such as this is absolutely not viable for the region. There are evildoers in this world, and as long as I’ve been on NationStates, they’ve been licking our lips at us.
The supreme power of the in-game Delegacy must be restricted to the Viziers, preferably one we know is a do-or-die TEP loyalist. As it stands, that power is at risk of being compromised at any given election cycle, and the bold shall continue to try for it until either that supreme power is no longer easily accessible or our Concordat is ripped apart at the hands of the malevolent.
I impress upon my fellow Magisters what is already universally understood: the urgency with which this particular avenue must be pursued. The days of the “Dictator Delegate,” no matter how benevolent its position-holders have been to this point, must end.
TEP has the single most powerful executive delegacy of any comparable NS democracy I can think of. Even TNP doesn’t let their del appoint the court and the security body (subject to confirmation by a small legislative group that can easily be stacked during a period of low activity or if a few people let their guard down). The HoG position would presumably inherit that stuff; it doesn’t need to have an inherently very powerful ingame feeder seat attached to it to still be very strong and capable of conducting sweeping, dynamic policy change to reflect the will of the citizenry.
Regarding security benefits, splitting the ingame del from HoG won’t stop an organized coup. That’s just the nature of the beast. Nothing short of making TEP’s internal culture so unbearably terrible that members of the coup team straight-up quit will do that. The main security advantage will be against lone rogues and arsonists (which the region’s had recent experience with). That’s still a valuable additional layer of security to have. Imagine how much damage a TEP executive del could do on their way out the door.
Much has been made of whether a split would discourage newer players from seeking office in a region that already has an uncompetitive election problem (which we’re not alone in, mind you). I’ll instead offer the perspective of a veteran player who isn’t getting any younger.
Unless something drastically changes IRL, I’m unlikely to seek an executive delegate spot in the near future. I simply do not have the time or energy for it, my folder of WA vote screenshots notwithstanding. As the playerbase continues to age and the game continues to slowly die, I’m sure I won’t be the only one. I’m sure I’m not the only one right now. A separate HoG position with a trusted other person handling gameside responsibilities, however? That I might be interested in. As long as the HoG position has a cool name and is visible to the world, newer players will be interested too.
My closing thought is that while the Conk limits a del to appointing a Vizier to assume the full delegacy instead of just gameside responsibilities, it allows a del to appoint a minister to take on any of their roles, including pseudo HoG responsibilities. Previous dels have used this to appoint chief ministers, prime ministers, and vice delegates, so it provides a way for a del to trial a split HoG/ingame del system prior to actually changing the law. We kind of already have that going with amom continuing to perform ingame del roles while Drem waits to assume the ingame seat.
Preamble
We, the assembled Residents of The East Pacific, desiring a more prosperous and perfect region, do hereby gather to establish this Concordat of The East Pacific.
Article A: Executive
Section 1: Establishment
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This Concordat does hereby invest executive authority in a Delegate Chief Minister of The East Pacific and does appoint the Delegate Chief Minister the executor of this Concordat, subsequent laws passed by the Magisterium, and Orders and verdicts imposed by the Conclave.
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall be a Citizen elected for a term of four six months by a majority vote of Citizens.
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall not serve concurrently as a Magister, or Arbiter, or Vizier. The Chief Minister shall only be permitted to serve concurrently as Delegate with the approval of 2/3 of the Viziers.
Section 2: Minister Appointments
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The Delegate Chief Minister may appoint Ministers to take on any of the roles of the Delegate Chief Minister and Advisors to advise the Delegate Chief Minister.
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The Delegate Chief Minister or relevant Minister may further appoint Staffers to assist in the Delegate Chief Minister or Minister’s duties.
3. As a limit, the Delegate may only order a Vizier to assume the full Delegacy. The Delegate may then retake the Delegacy at any time.
4. Statutory apportionment of Regional Officer positions or powers shall take primacy over discretionary Minister appointments.
5. An individual that has assumed the Delegacy through a means other than that provided for by this Concordat shall not be recognized by the Government as Delegate.
Section 3: General Powers & Responsibilities
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall eject and/or banish Nations from the Region who have committed a summary offense or have been sentenced as such for committing an indictable offense, by the Conclave, for the prescribed period of time, if so ordered by the Praesidium.
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall represent The East Pacific to foreign entities as Head of State.
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall nominate Citizens to serve as Arbiters subject to confirmation by the Magisterium.
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The Delegate Chief Minister shall nominate Citizens to serve as Viziers subject to confirmation by both the Magisterium and Praesidium.
Section 4: Recruitment
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The Delegate Chief Minister is fully empowered to create and send recruitment telegrams to Frontier regions on behalf of The East Pacific.
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Exceptions to this power include any region with an embassy or treaty with The East Pacific, and any properties thereof.
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Further exceptions to this power may be defined in law.
Article B: Legislative
Section 1: Establishment & Organization
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This Concordat does hereby invest legislative authority in a Magisterium, which shall enact legislation and maintain Standing Orders of the Magisterium.
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The Standing Orders of the Magisterium shall be considered legally binding within the Magisterium, unless contradicted by this Concordat or statutory law.
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The induction or removal of a Magister shall follow the methods prescribed in the Standing Orders.
Section 2: Magisterium Leadership
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Magisters shall elect among themselves a Provost, as outlined in the Standing Orders.
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The Provost shall preside over the Magisterium, represent it to the Executive, the Praesidium and the Conclave, and keep a record of the laws of The East Pacific.
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Any Magister may motion, with support from another Magister, to remove the Provost for misuse of their ability to make discretionary edits via a 1/2 majority vote - a successful motion shall initiate the vote with the Provost being suspended solely for the vote’s duration.
Section 3: Legislative Process
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Enactment, amendment, or repeal of legislation, and both ratification and repeal of a treaty or declaration of war submitted by the Delegate Chief Minister, shall be decided by majority vote.
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The Delegate Chief Minister may elect to, within ten days of passage in the Magisterium, veto or sign into immediate effect an enactment of a law, amendment, or repeal of legislation.
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A lack of Delegate Chief Minister veto or signature within ten days of passage by Magisterium vote shall lead to the relevant law, amendment, or repeal of legislation being put into immediate effect after the ten day period expires.
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The Magisterium may elect to override a Delegate Chief Minister veto of a law, amendment, or repeal of legislation by a 3/4 vote.
Section 4: Magisterium Confirmation and Removal of Officials
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The Magisterium shall vote on confirming Arbiters nominated by the Delegate Chief Minister. A 2/3 majority vote in favour shall result in the confirmation of the candidate.
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Following Praesidium confirmation, the Magisterium shall vote on confirming Viziers nominated by the Delegate.Chief Minister A 2/3 majority vote in favour shall result in the confirmation of the candidate.
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The Magisterium can vote to remove Arbiters for abuse of power, inactivity, or dereliction of duty. A 2/3 majority vote in favour shall remove the Arbiter.
Section 5: Magisterium Suspension of Officials
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The Magisterium may suspend the Delegate Chief Minister, a Vizier, or an Arbiter by a 2/3 vote for suspicion of indictable crimes or abuse of power.
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Said suspension shall be considered an Indictment for the named offence or offences as prosecuted by the Provost.
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Said suspension shall be lifted by any non-guilty decision of the Conclave or by majority vote of the Magisterium.
Section 6: Discretionary Edits
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Should a spelling, grammar, naming, or formatting (in relation to the rest of the legislation’s format) error exist in the Concordat or statutory law, the Provost may make a discretionary direct edit to correct said error.
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Discretionary direct edits cannot change the legal effect of the legislation.
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Discretionary direct edits shall always be announced and recorded in a public area.
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The Conclave may reverse any discretionary direct edits that violates this clause by a 2/3 majority vote.
Article C: Judicial
Section 1: Establishment & Organization
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This Concordat does hereby invest judicial power in the Conclave, which shall be the interpreter of this Concordat and the judge and jury of Residents.
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The Standing Orders of the Conclave shall be considered legally binding within the Conclave, unless contradicted by this Concordat or statutory law.
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The Conclave shall be composed of five Arbiters, which shall not serve concurrently as the Delegate Chief Minister or as a Magister.
Section 2: Arbiter Confirmations and Re-Confirmations
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Every six months, on the first of January and July, discussion for re-confirmation of all sitting Arbiters shall be immediately begun by the Provost of the Magisterium.
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Arbiters are appointed for a tenure lasting until the next re-confirmation of the cycle unless they are appointed in the month prior to re-confirmation, in which case they hold their seat until the second re-confirmation of the cycle.
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After three days of discussion on re-confirmation, a vote will begin. All sitting Arbiters shall retain their seat for the duration of re-confirmation.
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Should any Arbiter(s) fail the re-confirmation vote by the Magisterium, their seat is forfeited.
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In the event of any vacancy in the Conclave, the Delegate Chief Minister must nominate a new Arbiter within seven days.
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An Arbiter cannot be nominated again for the same seat after their re-confirmation fails.
Section 3: Conclave Leadership
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The Arbiters shall elect from amongst themselves a Viceroy who shall oversee the proceedings of the Conclave, administrate elections in the Region, and represent the Conclave to the Executive, the Magisterium, and the Praesidium.
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The Viceroy shall submit election regulation changes to the Magisterium for majority approval.
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The Viceroy shall be charged with maintaining the Standing Orders of the Conclave.
Section 4: General Judicial Powers & Limits
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The Conclave may rule on the actions of the Delegate Chief Minister or the Praesidium and nullify any which are contrary to this Concordat or statutory law.
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The Conclave may nullify any law passed by the Magisterium that is contrary to this Concordat.
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The Conclave may remove a Vizier or Magister by a 2/3 vote for abuse of power, inactivity, or dereliction of duty.
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The Conclave cannot overturn any part of the Concordat.
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The Conclave may not apply any legislation to any situation that occurred before the legislation was passed.
Section 5: Orders
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The Conclave is empowered to compel an action, reversal, or suspension of action by Order with an indictable penalty for if the Order is not met.
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Orders can be limited in any way by statutory law.
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Orders can never conflict with the Concordat.
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Orders may supersede statutory law, but only when a compelled action or reversal/suspension of such is necessary to maintain the status quo until an on-going trial concludes (upon which the relevant Order shall no longer be enforced).
Section 5: Trials
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The Conclave may rule on the actions of any Resident to be in violation of this Concordat or of the indicted offences as prescribed by the laws of the Region and sentence those found guilty pursuant to statutory limits.
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Trials in the Conclave shall be in open session.
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The Conclave may, via a 2/3 vote, temporarily suspend any government official who is being tried for an indictable offense from exercising some or all of their governmental powers during trial.
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Temporary suspensions shall be lifted at the end of said government official’s trial or lifted early by a 2/3 vote of the Conclave.
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Any Arbiter with substantial prior involvement with a matter that goes to trial must recuse themselves from said trial.
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If necessary, an Arbiter may be forcefully recused with the support of all other non-recused Arbiters.
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Recused Arbiters may not perform Arbiter duties for any matter directly related to said trial.
Article D: Security
Section 1: Establishment & Organization
1. The Praesidium shall be invested the responsibilities of regional security, stability, and continuity of government.
2. The Praesidium shall be composed of Viziers, each who shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.
3. The Praesidium shall be charged with removing from power any Delegate suspended by the Magisterium, guilty of a summary or indictable offence, or any individual that has illegally seized the Delegacy.
4. The Praesidium shall vote on confirming Viziers nominated by the Delegate. A 2/3 majority vote in favour shall result in the confirmation of the candidate.
5. The Standing Orders of the Praesidium shall be considered legally binding within the Praesidium, unless contradicted by this Concordat or statutory law.
Section 2: Praesidium Leadership
1. The Praesidium shall elect from among the Viziers a Grand Vizier, who shall preside over the Praesidium and represent it to the Magisterium, the Executive, and the Conclave.
2. The Grand Vizier shall oversee the security of the region as determined by this Concordat and the Standing Orders of the Praesidium.
3. The Grand Vizier shall be charged with maintaining the Standing Orders of the Praesidium.
4. The Grand Vizier cannot serve concurrently as Delegate, Provost, or Arbiter.
Section 3: Delegate Suspension and Trial
1. The Praesidium may temporarily suspend the Delegate via a 2/3 majority vote if it believes beyond a reasonable doubt that the Delegate has acted to destroy this Concordat or has committed an abuse of power.
2. The temporary suspension must be confirmed within seventy-two hours by a decision of the Conclave.
3. The suspension shall be considered an Indictment for High Treason or abuse of power as prosecuted by the Grand Vizier or designee.
4. The suspension and Indictment shall be lifted by a non-guilty verdict of the Conclave, a 2/3 vote of the Praesidium, or a 4/5 vote of the Magisterium.
Section 6: Acting Delegate Selection
1. Should the Delegate be suspended or leave office by removal, resignation, or any other means, the Praesidium shall select a Vizier to serve as Acting Delegate.
2. At any point, the Magisterium may override the Praesidium’s selection and select a Vizier of their own choosing to serve as Acting Delegate via a majority vote.
3. Whether Praesidium or Magisterium appointed, the Acting Delegate may exercise any and all powers of the Delegacy until the Delegate is unsuspended or, if the Delegate left office, a new election for Delegate has been held.
4. A Vizier shall not be considered as serving concurrently as Delegate if serving as an Acting Delegate.
Article D: Security
Section 1: Establishment and Organization
1. The Praesidium shall be invested with the responsibilities of regional security, stability, and continuity of government. It shall consist of the Delegate, the Viziers, and any other office established by law subservient to the Praesidium.
2. Each Vizier shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.
3. The Praesidium shall vote on confirming Viziers nominated by the Chief Minister. A 2/3 majority vote in favour shall result in the confirmation of the candidate.
4. The Standing Orders of the Praesidium shall be legally binding upon the Praesidium, unless contradicted by this Concordat or statutory law.
Section 2: The Delegacy
1. The Viziers shall elect a Delegate from amongst themselves to a term of one year. Following election, the Magisterium shall vote on confirming the Delegate. A simple majority vote in favour shall result in the confirmation of the candidate to the office of Delegate, else the Viziers shall begin another election.
2. The Delegate shall be charged with holding the Delegacy of The East Pacific, presiding over the Praesidium and representing it to the Magisterium, the Executive, and the Conclave. The Delegate cannot serve concurrently as Provost or Arbiter.
3. An individual that has assumed the Delegacy through a means other than that provided for by this Concordat shall not be recognized by the Government as Delegate. The Praesidium shall remove from power any illegal occupant of the Delegate’s seat.
4. The Delegate shall be charged with maintaining the Standing Orders of the Praesidium and the records of the Praesidium.
5. The Delegate shall vote in the World Assembly as ordered by the Chief Minister or an executive designee thereof and approve any proposals so ordered by the same. In the absence of such orders, the Delegate may exercise their judgment.
6. Should the seat of the Delegate be vacated before the election and confirmation of a new Delegate, the Viziers may elect amongst themselves an Acting Delegate to hold the seat until the conclusion of the next election. The Acting Delegate shall not be subject to confirmation by the Magisterium.
Section 3: Regional Officers
1. The Delegate shall appoint the Chief Minister to a Regional Officer position with all available powers. To alter this position or remove them from office without legal authority is tantamount to High Treason.
2. The Delegate shall appoint to a Regional Officer position any individual mandated by law. These assignments shall take precedent over all other Regional Officer positions, with the exception of the Chief Minister and any Regional Officer assigned by the Administration of The East Pacific.
3. After making Regional Officer appointments by law or by the Administration, the Delegate shall next appoint any Regional Officers ordered by the Chief Minister with any requested powers with the exception of Border Control. Any remaining Regional Officer positions may be assigned to Viziers until or unless they must be removed to accommodate the orders of the Chief Minister or the letter of the law.
4. The appointment of any Regional Officer not sanctioned by law shall be tantamount to High Treason.
Section 4: Suspension and Trial
1. The Praesidium may temporarily suspend the Chief Minister via a 2/3 majority vote if it believes beyond a reasonable doubt that they have acted to destroy this Concordat or have committed an abuse of power.
2. The temporary suspension must be confirmed within seventy-two hours by a decision of the Conclave.
3. The suspension shall be considered an Indictment for High Treason or abuse of power as prosecuted by the Grand Vizier or designee.
4. The suspension and Indictment shall be lifted by a non-guilty verdict of the Conclave, a 2/3 vote of the Praesidium, or a 4/5 vote of the Magisterium.
Article E: Residency, Citizenship, Rights
Section 1: Residents, Citizens, and Naturalization
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A Resident is an individual with one or more nations residing within The East Pacific Region.
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A Citizen is a Resident that has ratified this Concordat and undertaken Naturalization as defined by law.
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The Grand Vizier, with assistance from the Praesidium, shall be charged with overseeing the naturalization process and maintaining a record of all Citizens pursuant to statutory law and, secondly, the Standing Orders of the Praesidium.
Section 2: Loss of Citizenship
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Citizens who leave the Region may have their citizenship removed.
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Citizens who leave the Region shall also surrender all governmental roles, except in circumstances explicitly provided for by law.
Section 3: General Rights
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Each Resident shall be free to serve in any office in The East Pacific, as limited by World Assembly Membership, Concordat ratification, and Citizenship.
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Each Resident may submit to the Magisterium a legislative proposal for public debate and Magisterium vote, excluding those which may only be proposed by a specific governmental entity as according to this Concordat or statutory law.
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All Residents that have gained Citizenship may vote in Delegate and Chief Minister elections and Concordat referenda, except in the case that their Citizenship was confirmed during the voting period for the election or referendum in question.
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Each Resident may leave the region freely.
Section 4: Rights During Trial
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Each Resident shall be given a swift and impartial trial by the Conclave if an indictment is made against them.
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Any Resident may appeal to the Conclave via trial on any government action taken against them.
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Residents may not be banned or ejected for any reason not stated in law or this Concordat.
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Each Resident shall not be tried twice for the same offence nor forced to self-incriminate unless new and compelling evidence has been presented to the Conclave nor forced to self-incriminate.
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Residents shall not be denied the right to representation as limited by statutory law.
Article F: The Administration
Section 1: Recognition
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The off-site administration team, “the Administration”, shall be understood to be the administration team of The East Pacific’s forum as listed here: About - Tep Forum.
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The Administration, and any moderation team or designated governmental officials appointed thereto, are those responsible for the technical maintenance of The East Pacific’s official Discord servers, forums, and other official services.
Section 2: Legal Procedures
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This Concordat, nor any subsequent laws thereunder, provides the government of The East Pacific no authority over the Administration.
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Any ban, decided by the Administration in consensus for violations of the applicable rules of conduct related to the official off-site services, shall be considered a ban under the law for the same duration, and executed as such by the relevant regional authorities, without trial, hearing or appeal to the Conclave.
Article G: Regional Name and Emblem
Section 1: Name
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The official name of the government of The East Pacific shall be the “Confederated East Pacific”.
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“The Confederacy of The East Pacific” or “The Confederated States of The East Pacific” may be used interchangeably with The East Pacific’s official name.
Section 2: Emblem
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The regional symbol of The East Pacific shall be the Mason Compass (without the “G” inscribed in its center).
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The regional colors shall be any variant of green and yellow.
Article H: Enactment and Amendment
Section 1: Establishment & Amendment Procedure
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This Concordat is understood to have been established on January 11th, 2009, taking effect following a ratification vote of nations of The East Pacific as overseen by the Elders.
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The Magisterium may propose a Proposal for Amendment to this Concordat by a 2/3 vote
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A Proposal for Amendment successfully proposed by the Magisterium must receive the support of 2/3 of those Citizens voting in a referendum administered by the Conclave to be ratified and become a legally binding Concordat amendment.
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A legally binding Concordat amendment ratified by the above process shall be known as an “Amendment” or as a “Concordat Amendment”.
Section 2: Specifications
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Upon Amendment Referendum close, a Proposal for Amendment that gained the necessary support during the Amendment Referendum shall immediately be considered an Amendment.
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Proposals for Amendments shall be defined as changes, additions and/or removal of provisions within this Concordat or replacements of this Concordat that have not been ratified in an Amendment Referendum.
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A Proposal for Amendment is not binding law unless it becomes an Amendment.
Section 3: HOGS Amendment
1. The amendment which adds this section shall be known as the HOGS Amendment.
2. The HOGS amendment shall take effect on July 1st, 2026, upon which the first elections for both Delegate and Chief Minister shall be held. The February 2026 Delegate Term and January 2026 Grand Vizier Term shall extend to this date.
3. Upon the effectuation of the HOGS amendment, every instance of the noun “Delegate” in Statute and Standing Orders is amended and shall be edited to say “Chief Minister,” unless the provision deals with the mechanics of the seat of the Delegate.
4. Upon the effectuation of the HOGS amendment, every instance of “Grand Vizier” is amended and shall be edited to say “Delegate”.
5. The Magisterium is hereby instructed to review and prepare for passage an omnibus of reforms to bring Statute in line with the HOGS amendment, and every branch of government is hereby instructed to review their Standing Orders for the same purpose.
6. Article H, Section 3 of the Concordat as passed in the HOGS amendment shall be struck in its entirety by the Provost upon the complete effectuation of its terms.
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- The Delegate Chief Minister shall eject and/or banish Nations from the Region who have committed a summary offense or have been sentenced as such for committing an indictable offense, by the Conclave, for the prescribed period of time, if so ordered by the Praesidium.
I feel like the check by the Prae is unnessecary here.
Nitpick but Article D should be Security cuz its the Security branch like Magisterium is the Legislative Branch.
The Viziers, each who shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.
I’d rewrite as “Each Vizier shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.”
- The Delegate shall appoint any Regional Officers ordered by the Chief Minister with any requested powers with the exception of Border Control. Any remaining Regional Officer positions may be assigned to Viziers until or unless they must be removed to accommodate the orders of the Chief Minister or the letter of the law.
I’d reword this as:
" After making Regional Officer appointments by law or by the Administration, the Delegate shall next appoint any Regional Officers ordered by the Chief Minister with any requested powers with the exception of Border Control. Any remaining Regional Officer positions may be assigned to Viziers until or unless they must be removed to accommodate the orders of the Chief Minister or the letter of the law."
So that primacy goes chief exec being RO > admin > law > chief exec’s picks > vizier ROs if available space.
seems good to me otherwise, although i think ur bbc code is a bit broken
BBCode needs to change, then, because I am unbowed, unbent, and unbroken.
A cursory glance puts me in agreement with your suggestions, but I doubt I’ll be able to reflect them or look very closely until the conclusion of my LOA. Appreciate the feedback
stop having a life
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Why is the Chief Minister responsible for security appointments? I see a big loophole in this amendment. A bad actor who gets a elected as Chief Minister could then stack the Praesidium and/or Conclave. Indeed, since the term is expanded to six months, it may even be easier for them to do it.
The current system has a HOG that is responsible for security appointments and it hasn’t really been much of an issue so far. There are checks and balances in place in Legislative terms if there are problems.
It’s not an issue of whether or not the current system has had issues so far. It’s more about thinking long term. If we are going to separate the HoG and Delegate, with the Delegate being a security position, then the Delegate should absorb all the security functions from the HoG, and the HoG should only be responsible leading the Government.
All it takes is one bad Chief Minister (who will hold office for 6 months instead of 4 months), to win like 2 or 3 elections and stack the Praesidium and/or Conclave with bad faith actors.
All right, I’m going to read through and describe my comments as I go in this post.
- The Praesidium shall be invested the responsibilities of regional security, stability, and continuity of government. It shall consist of the Delegate, the Viziers, and any other office established by law to be subservient to the Praesidium.
This misses a ‘with’ in the first line. ‘to be’ can be removed without changing any meaning, I think.
- The Viziers, each who shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.
This doesn’t read right. I’d propose: ‘The Viziers shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.’
- The Delegate shall be charged with holding the Delegacy of The East Pacific. The Praesidium shall remove from power any illegal occupant of the Delegate’s seat.
This is like 2 things in one. So maybe reorganize 3 and 4 like this:
- The Delegate shall be charged with holding the Delegacy of The East Pacific.
- An individual that has assumed the Delegacy through a means other than that provided for by this Concordat shall not be recognized by the Government as Delegate. The Praesidium shall remove from power any illegal occupant of the Delegate’s seat.
Next:
- The Standing Orders of the Praesidium shall be considered legally binding within the Praesidium, unless contradicted by this Concordat or statutory law.
I don’t think ‘considered’ is needed here, and it reads better with just ‘shall be legally binding’.
But ‘within the Praesidium’ sounds rather vague. Maybe: 'The Standing Orders of the Praesidium shall be binding upon the Delegate and the Viziers’.
And in fact, articles 3 and 4 seem better at home in Section 2. Section 1 should establish the Praesidium and its organization, Section 2 should group everything around the Delegacy.
So like this:
Section 1: Establishment and Organization
- The Praesidium shall be invested with the responsibilities of regional security, stability, and continuity of government. It shall consist of the Delegate, the Viziers, and any other office established by law subservient to the Praesidium.
- The Delegate shall hold the Delegacy of The East Pacific, as set forth in this Concordat.
- The Viziers shall maintain a high level of endorsements in the region and serve for an indefinite period.
- The Standing Orders of the Praesidium shall be binding upon the Delegate and the Viziers
Section 2: The Delegacy
- The Citizens shall elect a Delegate from any Vizier candidate who seeks the office, to a term of one year.
- An individual that has assumed the Delegacy through a means other than that provided for by this Concordat shall not be recognized by the Government as Delegate. The Praesidium shall remove from power any illegal occupant of the Delegate’s seat.
- The Delegate shall:
- preside over the Praesidium and represent it to the Magisterium, the Executive, and the Conclave;
- maintain the Standing Orders of the Praesidium and the records of the Praesidium;
- vote in the World Assembly as ordered by the Chief Minister or an executive designee thereof and approve any proposals so ordered by the same. In the absence of such orders, the Delegate may exercise their judgment;
- appoint the Chief Minister to a Regional Officer position with all available powers. To alter this position or remove them from office without legal authority is tantamount to High Treason;
- appoint to a Regional Officer position any individual mandated by law;
- appoint any Regional Officers ordered by the Chief Minister with any requested powers with the exception of Border Control.
- The Delegate cannot serve concurrently as Chief Minister, Provost, or Arbiter.
- When the seat of the Delegate is vacant, the Viziers may elect amongst themselves an Acting Delegate to hold the seat until the conclusion of the next election.
This centralizes all tasks of the Delegate in Section 2.
Section 3 of course would be slimmed down to the general rules on Regional Officers:
Section 3. Regional Officers
- The appointment of any Regional Officer not sanctioned by law shall be tantamount to High Treason.
- The Regional Officer positions mandated by law shall take precedent over all other Regional Officer positions, with the exception of the Chief Minister and any Regional Officer assigned by the Administration of The East Pacific.
- Any remaining Regional Officer positions may be assigned by the Delegate to Viziers until or unless they must be removed to accommodate the orders of the Chief Minister or the letter of the law.
Honestly, I think making it so the Delegate does the nominations for Arbiters makes perfect sense - lessens the coupability of the Conclave.
However, I don’t think the Delegate should be nominating Viziers since the Delegate is also a Vizier in all but name. I’m fine with the HOG doing that (which in this proposal requires confirmation from both prae and magi afaik), or even just having Citizens apply and get confirmed by the Prae + Magi (as TNP does it).
We should delineate some more responsabilities for the Delegate beyond occupying the seat and following the Chief Minister’s desicions in RO appointments and WA votes. The delegate should be concerned not just with increasing endo count but also act like a sort of minister of recruitment as VW53 used to be, though maybe that belongs not in the concordat but as laws passed by the magisterium. Open to the idea that we should consider it obvious that the Del will act this way and not a something that needs to be legislated. Would like to know what others think.
I agree that the Chief Minister should be the one that nominates Viziers, so the Praesidium is not a closed system, the way I see it the CM should retain some security responsabilities and the Delegate executive ones.
I don’t think the Delegate should have executive tasks. That’s the CM’s power, per the Concordat. The whole point, as I understood this idea conceptually, was to separate the Executive and in-game Delegacy.